Today was a day I was really looking forward to. There were many attractions I wanted to check out along this stretch of road. So, I was up early, packed and out the door to……….
-6C in Flagstaff with frost on the car and ice on the ground! Ok. It wasn’t that bad. It just made for a good picture. After breakfast, it had warmed up to about -2 and with a black car with a black interior, it didn’t take long to warm up.
So on the road with the first planed stop being Winona (Don’t forget Winona!). Well as the guide book says “It looks like Winona forgot itself” There was nothing to see. Of well. Off to the next stops which do have something to see.
Twin Arrows and Twin Guns are both abandoned service stations. Both places use to be popular with tourist, however over time, they have been vandalized to the point where they are now off limits to tourist. I was lucky at Twin Guns that there was a open gate that allowed me to get closer to the famous tanks.
The Meteor Crater Center is a privately owned area with the worlds largest preserver meteor crater. The crater is over 2.5 miles wide and over 550 feet deep. It’s an awe inspiring site. There’s a museum on site and guided tour are available. Worth the side trip if you’re on the area.
Winslow was made famous by the Eagles song “Take it Easy”. There’s a statue on the corner of Second street and Kinsley Ave. dedicated to the song. There’s even a mural showing a reflection of the girl in the Ford on the wall behind the wall. It was quite a fine sight to see.
Next it was off to the Jackrabbit Trading post to see the famous sign. The store itself is a typical tourist trap souvenir store with generic “Route 66” shirts and coffee mugs. Not much else to see.
Holbrook was the next stop to visit the Wigwam Motel. A famous motel on 66, the Wigwam is usually booked months in advance. On this day, it look deserted. The parking lot has various old cars and trucks parked within and proved to be an enjoyable photo stop.
After Holbrook, there’s not too many landmarks. 66 is mostly highway that runs parallel with I-40. There were a couple of places where I could venture off the freeway and explore. It was along one of there stretches that I stopped at an old gas station for some pics. There I met a caretaker who showed me a couple of hidden gems at the location including two paintings that were still in good shape and not faded. A fun spot that isn’t listed in the guide books.
Albuquerque was reached just as the sun was going down. Perfect timing. The motel I’m staying at (Monterey Non-Smoking Motel) has a great looking sign and I wanted to get a picture. The picture is on my Flickr and SmugMug site to see.
Dinner a a great Tex-Mex restaurant in Old Town then upload pictures. Another great day.
Tomorrow. Side trip to Santa Fe and checking out some Albuquerque attractions, including the Unser family museum and a house once owned by a school teacher who “broke bad”.
See ya later!